Council Passes Safety Zones Bylaw - Conseil municipal d’Ottawa & disponibilité media — 2026/04/22

Ottawa City Council debated and passed a bylaw creating 50-metre safety zones around schools, places of worship, hospitals and daycares. The meeting also included votes on a food security feasibility study, a public toilet access strategy, and changes to parking ticket contestation deadlines.

Topics Discussed

Safety Zones Around Social Infrastructure

Council approved a bylaw establishing 50-metre buffer zones intended to protect access to “vulnerable social infrastructure” during protests. During debate, councillors focused on how the bylaw would be enforced, whether it could withstand a Charter challenge, and whether council should discuss the city’s legal advice publicly.

Police described the changing nature of demonstrations. A police chief or deputy chief told council: “On a des bombes fumigènes, il y a des systèmes de sonorisation qui sont très fort et on a des sifflets maritimes qui sont utilisés... il faut protéger nos oreilles.”

Several speakers framed the bylaw as a trade-off between competing rights. The mayor said: “Aujourd'hui, nous faisons face à une décision bien difficile, notamment comment établir les limites car il peut y avoir des priorités qui se font concurrence et c'est ce que nous faisons en tant que membre du conseil. Nous établissons les limites.”

Councillors also argued over transparency and solicitor-client privilege. Councillor Ménard urged council to waive privilege so the legal advice could be debated publicly: “Si le rapport est si clair… pourquoi ne pas débattre ouvertement ?” Another speaker said they had been told legal details could not be discussed in open session unless confidentiality was waived: “on m'a dit non, il faudrait euh suspendre la confidentialité… pour vous donner euh des détails.”

The mayor argued legal advice should remain confidential because of the sensitivity of the issues: “c'est évident que ces questions doivent être abordées dans la confidentialité… Non pas parce qu'on veut manquer de transparence, c'est qu'il s'agit de sujets qui sont particulièrement délicats.” Council defeated the motion to waive attorney-client privilege.

Urban Growth and Provincial Intervention

Council discussed growth projections after the provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs raised concerns about Ottawa’s population forecasts. The city’s projection discussed at the meeting was roughly 500,000 additional residents over 25 years. One speaker noted the province’s role in approving planning documents: “Quoi qu'on décide au sujet de la croissance démographique de la ville, la province aura voix au chapitre. Elle doit approuver notre plan officiel…”

The mayor tied the projections to infrastructure and housing needs: “La population d'Ottawa devrait croître de 500,000 personnes au cours des 25 prochaines années… Il nous faudra loger toutes ces personnes. Il nous faudra de l'infrastructure. Il nous faudra un plan de croissance durable…”

Food Security Strategy

Council approved a motion requesting a feasibility study on a comprehensive food security strategy by Q2 2027. During debate, one speaker pointed to rising demand: “On sait que la sécurité alimentaire est un gros problème. Il y a des familles qui doivent aller aux banques d'alimentation.” Councillor Tierney referenced one idea that did not proceed: “Nous n'allons pas construire d'épicerie municipales, n'est-ce pas ?”

Public Toilet Access Strategy

Council adopted a four-part strategy to expand access to public washrooms, including improving access in existing facilities, partnering with businesses, helping residents locate washrooms, and exploring standalone units. Councillor Truster described the approach: “Il y a quatre volets à la stratégie concernant les toilettes publiques…” and added that a project is paused: “il y a un projet en suspend en raison du manque de financement.”

Parking Ticket Deadline Extensions

Council voted to extend timelines for residents to dispute parking tickets. The changes increased the review period from 30 to 45 days after a penalty notice, and delayed late fees from day 31 to day 46.

Motions

Passed: - Item 11.1: Safety zones bylaw (20 in favor, 4 opposed) - Item 15.2: Parking ticket deadline extensions (adopted as modified) - Item 15.4: Public toilet strategy (adopted) - Item 16.3: Community housing services (adopted) - Item 21.2: Staff response time standards (passed with amendments) - Item 21.8: Swimmable Cities Charter (adopted) - Item 21.8: Anti-radicalization program (adopted) - Affordable housing property transfer facilitation (adopted) - Conservation authority governance concerns (adopted) - Councillor Tim Tierney FCM presidential candidacy support (adopted) - Andrew Fleck daycare security improvements (adopted) - “Give-Away Weekends” program return — May 30–31, 2026 (adopted) - Water service communications improvements (adopted) - Transit union collective agreement ratification (adopted)

Rejected: - Motion Devine (6 in favor, 18 against) - Motion Bradley (10 in favor, 14 opposed) - Motion to go into closed session (7 in favor, 17 against) - Motion to waive attorney-client privilege (defeated)

Deferred: - Item 15.4: Downtown revitalization framework (held at Councillor Hill’s request)

Attendees

The transcript does not provide a complete attendance list. Councillors mentioned by name include Devine, Hill, Plante, Laper, Ménard, Bradley, Truster, Des Roches, Kelly, Cavana, Tierney, King Johnson, and Kits.